Bathrooms, shower enclosures, bath tub enclosures and other damp rooms and enclosures often use ceramic tiles on the walls in order to protect the walls from moisture that would otherwise cause mildew, mold or otherwise ruin the wall. Ceramic tiles are generally expensive and time consuming to install. An alternative is to use ABS-backed acrylic sheets on the walls, which are less expensive to purchase and easier to install. However, the acrylic sheets do not have the desired appearance of a tile wall.
In the past, a simulated tile wall was created from an ABS-backed acrylic sheet. The acrylic sheet is typically placed into a clamp frame. The sheet is then slid into an oven where it is heated from above and below at different temperatures for a period of time, for example, for two to three minutes. Once the acrylic sheet is pliable, the sheet is removed from the oven, and slid over a mold having the simulated tile pattern. The mold is raised to the sheet, and a vacuum lever is pulled. The suction causes the heated sheet to form into the simulated pattern created on the mold. Once the sheet cools, it is removed from the clamp frame and exterior trim portions or edges are removed to form a finished acrylic sheet with the simulated tile pattern embedded in the sheet. This entire process typically takes about ten minutes, and requires highly trained individuals to complete the task with very little margin for error. Depending on the mold, different tile patterns can be formed.
While the previous process is satisfactory to form a simulated tile pattern, it has several shortcomings. For example, the process requires an operator with highly developed skills in operating the machinery and the necessity for accuracy when placing and forming the sheet. Furthermore, each tile pattern or sheet design requires a specific mold which has to be created. Creating the molds is very time consuming and costly.
Therefore, there is a need for a method for creating simulated tile sheets which are fully customizable, without the need to create multiple molds, and which can be easily created in a short amount of time without the requirement of highly skilled individuals.